Barnyard duck

A bit of history, sad history: a few weeks ago, when I was about to cross the millpond waterfall, I noticed the corpse of a white, barnyard duck that was floating face-down near the shore. Another white duck, which I figured was its mate, swam nearby. The deceased bird eventually sank to the bottom, but the alive member of the pair didn't leave the pond. It was a heart-wrenching tale, but what can you do? Turns out that what it did—well, what it might have done—was find another mate in the same area, for this morning, when I was heading towards the upper falls, I saw that white duck with a partner, and a gaggle of its offspring.

  Barnyard duck, its unlikely mate, and kids?

Now, I can't know if this is what actually happened. I have no way of determining whether barnyard ducks and Mallards can cross-fertilize, and I'm not even really sure if the white duck is a male. Perhaps he—or she—was just lonely and seeking company. Still, I'm a romantic at heart, so I'm going to stick with my original idea... and watch this quartet of ducklings to see if any turn a telltale white.